Many network implementations available today provide a network device and/or network service discovery. This means that the network devices check or investigate which network devices are available, i.e. in communication with the network. Usually certain messages are specified to be used for the implementation of such a device and/or service discovery. Depending on the implementation, those messages are sent at certain times (e.g. as notification messages after power up or as polling messages in certain time intervals). With an implementation of a notification mechanism (used e.g. when a device or service joints or disjoints a network), it is usually possible to inform other devices about state changes immediately. However, in some circumstances, such as cable removal or power-cut, it is not possible to use the notification mechanism to inform other devices. In this case it is usually a polling mechanism that detects the state change after a certain time.
The implementer of a network device and/or service discovery faces the difficult situation to solve the problem of detecting state changes in a timely manner, versus not to send too many polling messages. Sending too many messages reduces the available time and/or bandwidth for other tasks, especially when communicating on a slow transmission medium. Sending polling messages with a too high time interval results in a longer usage of outdated information and might, therefore, lead to technical problems or to reduced usability.